If they get benefits from their country of origin, they must somehow contribute to it despite being overseas, and it can get a bit complex. An obvious answer would be payroll taxes or income taxes, but what happens if one country's tax rates differ from another's? If he/she goes from a high-tax country to a low-tax jurisdiction, will he/she get from his homeland much more than he pays?

"countries can act as welfare magnets, attracting many more migrants than would be economically advisable, because the newcomers receive, in addition to their wages, a migration grant in the form of public transfers."
Maybe the author could provide some empirical studies confirming this magnetic power? Migrants go wherever there is work, not social benefits.

So as a neo-liberal Mr Sinn would like to take advantage of a million impoverised workers entering Germany by making sure that they cannot receive a benefit and therefore must find work. More than likely they will have to work on the black market, paid a cash wage half that of the regular German worker.

Inevitably this means lower wages for German workers, less tax paid and his next article will be to the effect that welfare is too costly for the German society and must be cut.

The reason the migrants are coming, is that they were invited to by Angela Merkel, but more seriously they were coming anyhow. Germany has enforced a policy of austerity throughout Europe that means that Germany is the only European country where there are jobs to be had.

Even if you cut off the welfare the migrants will still arrive, work for cash jobs, beg on the streets, hustle and sell whatever they can, steal, sell drugs etc.. Is there welfare in Syria? I think not.

you depicted the root of the problem as the massive of influx of refugees, who do not fall into the economic-migrant class, and whom you excluded from your proposed solution, so the point of your argument is ?

When the UK state pensions were introducted people who had not paid into the system recieved a pension because otherwise they would not have got any pension. The UK state pension system is funded on a money paid in used to pay current pension liabilities. Whilst having an entry qualification period for welfare is sensible it is nevertheless a political decision just like granting pensions to people who had not paid into pensions was a political decision.

The problem with the one euro job is it undermines wages. Because of EU and non EU immigration wages in the UK are estimated to have dropped by 6 to 7% at the low wage end although there are inevitably some who argue about it

Even more sensitive is the issue of housing provision. Housing shortages push housing cost up damaging the competitiveness of the economy. A half of all new housing in the UK is required for migrant housing

Generalities, always generalities, why can’t people be specific as to the real causes of a problem rather than speaking in the abstract. Merkel opened the flood gates and no one else. As such, Germany must pay the full bill for the refugees / migrants influx and no other country in the EU or outside it should pay a cent. Leadership comes with personal responsibilities and “not” shared responsibilities. The current Syrian / Iraqi / ME conflicts must not be compared to any prior or any other historic situation. These refugees / migrants should have never been lured into the EU. Another tragedy committed at the hands of the German leadership.

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